KEEPING IT FROM HAROLD (NCERT Sol.)

3. Based on your reading of the story, answer the following questions by choosing the correct option.

(a) Mrs Bramble was a proud woman because __________. (i) she was the wife of a famous boxer (ii) she had motivated her husband (iii) she was a good housewife (iv) she was the mother of a child prodigy Answer – (iv) she was the mother of a child prodigy

(c) Harold had defied the laws of heredity by ______. (i) becoming a sportsperson (ii) being good at academics (iii) being well-built and muscular (iv) respecting his parents

Answer – (ii) being good at academics

Page No: 40

(d) Harold felt that he was deprived of the respect that his classmates would give him as _________. (i) they did not know his father was the famous boxer, ‘Young Porky’ (ii) his hero, Jimmy Murphy had not won the wrestling match (iii) he had not got Phil Scott’s autograph (iv) Sid Simpson had lost the Lonsdale belt Answer –(i) they did not know his father was the famous boxer, ‘Young Porky‘

4. Answer the following questions

(a) What was strange about the manner in which Mrs. Bramble addressed her son? What did he feel about it? Answer – Mrs. Bramble always used to refer to herself in the third person and treated Harold as quite a little as a baby. He would feel irritated and wished that his mother would treat him as a grown-up boy since he had won prizes in spellings and dictation.

(b) Why was it necessary to keep Harold’s father’s profession a secret from him? Answer –Harold was a very intelligent child with a very gentle behaviour. His parents considered that boxing was a rough profession and it might become difficult for Harold to accept the image and qualities of his father as displayed by any professional boxer. So, they thought that it was necessary to hide his father’s profession from him.

(c) When Mr. Bramble came to know that he was to become a father what were some of the names he decided upon? Why? Answer – Mr. Bramble wanted that if a boy took birth he will be named John after Mr. John L. Sullivan and if a girl took birth, she would be named Marie, after Miss Mary Lloyd.

(d) Describe Mr. Bramble as he has been described in the story. Answer– Mr. Bramble was a successful professional boxer nicknamed as ‘Young Porky’. He was thirty one years old and weighed eight stone four. He was a talented boxer and had an enormous fan following. There was no one whom he could not defeat in the twenty round contest of boxing. But by nature he was very timid He was a very devoted and an overprotective father.

(e) Why was Mrs. Bramble upset when she came to hear that Bill had decided not to fight? Answer-Mrs Bramble was upset because the money that Bill would have made after the boxing fight would have helped to provide for the expenses of their son’s education. (f) Who was Jerry Fisher? What did he say to try and convince Bill to change his mind? Answer – Jerry Fisher was the trainer, manager, and promoter of Mr Bramble’s boxing matches. He tried to tempt Mr. Bramble by reminding him of the large sum of money that he would win at the end of the fight; the celebrities who would come to watch him fight and the publicity h. would get. He also tried to point out the problems that he would have to face if he decided not to fight. (g) How did Harold come to know that his father was a boxer? Answer –When Harold returned from a walk, finding the door of his house open, he walked into a room full of adults discussing about him. Seizing the opportunity, Mr. Fisher told him that his father was the famous boxing champion popularly called ‘Young Porky”.

(h) Why was Harold upset that his father had not told him about his true identity? Give two reasons. Answer- 1. Harold was upset that he had been denied the chance to show off before his friends that his father was the famous boxing champion “Young Porky”. 2. He also felt that if his friends had known of his father’s true identity they would have treated him with more respect and not called him “Goggles”.

(i) Do you agree with Harold’s parents’ decision of hiding from him the fact that his father was a boxer? Why/ Why not? Answer – No, it was foolish on their part to hide things from him because by doing so they were living under false pretences and this would have had painful consequences in the future. Also they were being overprotective, deciding what their son should or should not be told. They were making him into a snob by hiding his true background from him.

5. The sequence of events has been jumbled up. Rearrange them and complete the given flowchart.

1) Major Percy and Bill come to the house.

2) Harold comes to know that his father is a boxer.

3) Bill tells his wife that he is doing it for Harold.

4) Jerry Fisher tries to convince Bill to reconsider.

5) Mrs. Bramble is amazed to think that she has brought such a prodigy as Harold into the world.

6) Harold wants to know what will happen to the money he had bet on Murphy losing.

7) Mrs. Bramble is informed that Bill had decided not to fight.

8) Mrs. Bramble resumes work of darning the sock.

9) Harold is alone with his mother in their home.

Answer

Here is the correct sequence:

(9) Harold is alone with his mother in their home.

(5) Mrs. Bramble is amazed to think that she has brought such a prodigy as Harold into the world.

(8) Mrs. Bramble resumes work of darning the sock.

(1) Major Percy and Bill come to the house.

(7) Mrs. Bramble is informed that Bill had decided not to fight.

(3) Bill tells his wife that he is doing it for Harold.

(4) Jerry Fisher tries to convince Bill to reconsider.

(2) Harold comes to know that his father is a boxer.

(6) Harold wants to know what will happen to the money he had bet on Murphy losing. Page No: 41 6. Choose extracts from the story that illustrate the characters of these people in it.

Person

Extracts from the story

What this tells us about their characters

Mrs. Bramble

(Para 12) “Bill we must keep it from Harold”

She was not honest and open with her son; concerned mother

Mr. Bramble

(Para 33)

Percy

(Para 109)

Jerry Fisher

(Para 110)

Answer

Person

Extracts from the story

What this tells us about their characters

Mrs. Bramble

(Para 12) “Bill we must keep it from Harold”

She was not honest and open with her son; concerned mother

Mr. Bramble

(Para 33) “The scales have fallen from his eyes”

Mr. Bramble was a caring father; he chose his son over his profession

Percy

(Para 109) “My dear sir…a father’s feelings.”

A man who understood a father’s feelings well; a little dramatic

Jerry Fisher

(Para 110) “Tommy…’Young Porky’.”

Blunt; did not care about how his words might affect the relation of a father and his son.